Rabbis Take Up Guns for God

As New York rabbi Gary Moscowitz puts it, a terrorist could stroll into a synagogue, â€œput a yarmulke on, say, ‘Happy holidays,’ and blow the place up.â€ Or else they could just run in â€œscreaming â€˜Allah akhbar,â€™ or whateverâ€ and start shooting. In response to these hypothetical concerns and the FBI-facilitated Bronx synagogue bomb plot, Moscowitz started training fellow rabbis to fight off terrorists in their temple. The founder of the International Security Coalition of Clergy says his 100-hour combat class is crucial because â€œeven if police were trained properly, by the time they show up weâ€™d all be dead.â€ Watch the Post’s video of the holy men grappling with guns and tables after the jump.

32137One Response tohttp%3A%2F%2Fanimalnewyork.com%2F2009%2Frabbis-take-up-guns-for-god%2FRabbis+Take+Up+Guns+for+God2009-09-04+16%3A59%3A57Will+Shermanhttp%3A%2F%2Fanimalnewyork.com%2F%3Fp%3D32137 “Rabbis Take Up Guns for God”

I would not be so dismissive about Rabbi Moscowitz' efforts. Bear in mind that it's not only a threat from al-Quaida-type terrorists, but also domestic crazies (for example the church shooting in Colorado, in which an armed congregation member took out the shooter before he could kill more) that need to be considered.

The threat risk is very low, but the consequences are potentially disastrous. Making fun of this sort of thing is like making fun of the commercial aviation industry for its herculean efforts to avoid mechanical and human failures.

As for Jews being targeted, most people would not characterize the Bronx synagogue bomb plots as "FBI-facilitated," and in any event, there are other, actual events, going back to synagogue shooting in Seattle and even the Hanafi Muslim assault on the offices of B'nai Brith in D.C. in the 70's.

As a Jew attending synagogue, I would feel much better knowing that there were a few trained, armed citizens in the pews with me.